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Speaker cables

Moderator: Roscoe Primrose

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DaveR

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 10:06 am

Joined: February 19th, 2017, 9:43 am
Posts: 539

FerdinandII wrote:

Makes sense. That's how the cable was designed to be used......

Not exactly. They were designed to be used with very high radio frequency signals where the energy of the entire signal is carried on the skin of the center conductor. That's why the center conductor is copper clad aluminum. The aluminum is not supposed to be doing anything other than to support the copper cladding. The skin depth for audio signals is significantly deeper so the aluminum is being used to carry current to the speakers. Given the efficiency of Walt's speakers, that ain't much.

While I would have said using Heliax for speaker cable, or any audio related cable for that matter, is a bad idea, I've heard Walt's system and it is very good indeed.

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Pelliott321

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 10:41 am

Joined: January 15th, 2015, 7:19 am
Posts: 1771
Location: Baltimore MD

What I use for my system which is tri-wired, is braided cat 5. Each cat 5 cable (8 solid conductors) is one run. so I have six cables from amp to xover box.
DaveR has beat me up about using Cat 5 because there are different lengths of wire in the cable. The cable length is less than four feet. Dave gave me enough of his
thermostat wire he uses to make new awhile ago but I never got to replacing my cable. One day soon, maybe

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Roscoe Primrose

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:00 am

Site Admin

Joined: February 28th, 2013, 10:38 am
Posts: 1732

Pelliott321 wrote:

DaveR has beat me up about using Cat 5 because there are different lengths of wire in the cable.

With CAT5 the twist rates, and therefore wire lengths, should be the same. With CAT5e/CAT6 the twist rates are different, so DaveR's arguments are valid for >CAT5
.
Roscoe

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SoundMods

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:03 am

Joined: July 24th, 2015, 4:17 pm
Posts: 1859
Location: Parkville, Maryland

mix4fix wrote:

SoundMods wrote:

FerdinandII wrote:

Makes sense. That's how the cable was designed to be used......

As it turns out that was the only way to successfully terminate the cable. It is a bitch to terminate. You need a big-ass soldering iron because between the connectors and the copper corrugated shield you find yourself soldering to very efficient heat sinks. It doesn't hurt to use a copper piping cutter and thermal stripper to get the job done. It was definitely worth the effort.

Can you make a set for next years C.A.F.?

If the cables are that great, it should make whatever is brought sound better.

If we get an agreement from Gary Gill, preferably in writing, that he will trade a room for front desk support, I'll buy what is needed and assemble a pair.

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Walt

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Roscoe Primrose

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:06 am

Site Admin

Joined: February 28th, 2013, 10:38 am
Posts: 1732

SoundMods wrote:

If we get an agreement from Gary Gill, preferably in writing, that he will trade a room for front desk support, I'll buy what is needed and assemble a pair.

I probably have the raw cable in the garage, along with several proper N connectors which should be a lot easier to use since they're specifically designed for the cable....

Roscoe

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SoundMods

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:14 am

Joined: July 24th, 2015, 4:17 pm
Posts: 1859
Location: Parkville, Maryland

DaveR wrote:

FerdinandII wrote:

Makes sense. That's how the cable was designed to be used......

Actually, aluminum is a fairly good conductor in its own right. Not as good a copper of course but, aluminum has 61 percent of the conductivity of copper and only 30 percent of the weight of copper. We're not talking about 100-feet of run here -- only 35-feet. I forget what I measured when working on the cable but the series resistance was negligible. Besides, I would not have gone to the trouble if the trial event didn't warrant the change. I was shocked at the improvement and pissed off as to why I didn't try it 15 years ago.

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Walt

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DaveR

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:29 am

Joined: February 19th, 2017, 9:43 am
Posts: 539

Roscoe Primrose wrote:

Pelliott321 wrote:

DaveR has beat me up about using Cat 5 because there are different lengths of wire in the cable.

With CAT5 the twist rates, and therefore wire lengths, should be the same. With CAT5e/CAT6 the twist rates are different, so DaveR's arguments are valid for >CAT5
.
Roscoe

You should probably correct the Wikipedia page.

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I have too much stuff - https://www.pleasebuymystuff.com

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mix4fix

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 11:50 am

Joined: June 22nd, 2013, 11:00 am
Posts: 1074

Roscoe Primrose wrote:

Pelliott321 wrote:

DaveR has beat me up about using Cat 5 because there are different lengths of wire in the cable.

With CAT5 the twist rates, and therefore wire lengths, should be the same. With CAT5e/CAT6 the twist rates are different, so DaveR's arguments are valid for >CAT5
.
Roscoe

Is it really worth dealing with shoving 8 tiny wires into a banana plug instead of using regular twisted cable?

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Pelliott321

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 12:16 pm

Joined: January 15th, 2015, 7:19 am
Posts: 1771
Location: Baltimore MD

Roscoe I know we have had this discussion before.
Cat 5 individual wires are the same length so it is ok to use, right.

Steve No it is not difficult to get eight wires into a banana plug, just takes work, some of us are willing to do the work
needed to pursue the journey

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SoundMods

Post subject: Re: Speaker cables

Posted: October 20th, 2018, 12:45 pm

Joined: July 24th, 2015, 4:17 pm
Posts: 1859
Location: Parkville, Maryland

Roscoe Primrose wrote:

SoundMods wrote:

If we get an agreement from Gary Gill, preferably in writing, that he will trade a room for front desk support, I'll buy what is needed and assemble a pair.

I probably have the raw cable in the garage, along with several proper N connectors which should be a lot easier to use since they're specifically designed for the cable....

Roscoe

Actually, the 3/8-inch diameter conductor fit into the center pin of the PL-259 perfectly. The center pin with the inserted conductor sucked in the wet solder beautifully. The female PL-259 enabled me to solder pig-tails to feed through the holes in the floor to the respective amp./speaker. Since it was a panel-mount type my floor became the "panel." Should I find something even better I can terminate the un-obtanium cables with PL-259s and simply plug in. No futzing with pig-tails and terminating future pig-tails. Running the cable through the cable-tie suspenders is not my idea of fun especially with all of the crap I have in my basement, but that's the charm of this hobby. It can be work.

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Walt

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